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World Cup run could relieve Americans’ pessimism

Our collective challenges have manifested themselves into nationwide pessimism. But now another unlikely American sports team has the chance to reverse this sentiment, the American national soccer team.

World Cup run could relieve Americans’ pessimism

Fans cheer after the United States scored a goal against Portugal as they watch the World Cup soccer match on a big screen television Sunday in Orlando, Fla.
(Photo:
AP
)

The outlook was bleak for the United States in the winter of 1980. It was the height of the Cold War, 66 Americans were held hostage in the American Embassy in Tehran and recession loomed.

Uncertainty was ubiquitous; pessimism was rampant. The United States needed a win and got one in the most unexpected way when the U.S. hockey team — a rag tag group of college players — stunned the sport’s perennial powerhouse and America’s number one adversary, the Soviet Union, at the Winter Olympics. Even though no one gave the team a chance, they believed that they would win and lifted the nation during a period of darkness.

Today, America is in a similar position. We no longer have a central enemy in communism; instead we face numerous decentralized threats. Trillions of dollars in debt, much of which is owned by hegemonic rival China, threatens America’s economy. Partisanship tears at our once unified national fabric. Anti-Western terrorism spans from Nigeria to Afghanistan and seemingly each country in between. And Russia’s brazen invasions of our European allies Ukraine and Georgia remind us that the problems of 1980 aren’t so far removed.

These collective challenges have manifested themselves into nationwide pessimism. But now another unlikely American sports team has the chance to reverse this sentiment, the American national soccer team. Whether or not you follow the sport, there is no doubt that a deep run in the ongoing World Cup by the 2014 squad could provide the nation with a much-needed lift.

From the coaching staff to the roster, the team embodies what it means to be American. Captain Clint Dempsey went from using a fence and a tree as goalposts in the shadows of his family’s home in a dusty Texas trailer park to finding the back of the net in the English Premier League – regarded as the best in the world. After his Premier League career, he returned stateside and signed the largest contract in Major League Soccer history.

Coach Jurgen Klinsmann and four players with dual citizenship left their homes in Europe to don the red, white and blue uniform of the United States in pursuit of glory on the world stage. Their athletic voyage keeps alive the tradition of immigrants crossing the pond to strengthen the world’s richest melting pot. Pioneers including Madeline Albright, Henry Kissinger, Alexander Graham Bell, Joseph Pulitzer, Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla all left their homes to pursue world-changing advancements as Americans.

In an era when 50 percent of high school students are functionally illiterate in American history, perhaps this team can reinvigorate the American idea. Young fans have gathered by the thousands in Chicago, Kansas City and New York City to watch their national squad play. By competing with courage, pride, toughness and fairness, this team can again show our citizens that when we rally together as a nation, we can achieve incredible feats in an honorable fashion.

So far our Yanks have bounced back from injuries to star players Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore to defeat Ghana, who had beaten the United States in the last two world cups – showing a strong, blue collar, American-style recovery. And against FIFA’s fourth-ranked team, Portugal, who has the current FIFA World Player of the Year Christiano Ronaldo, the United States put up a valiant fight. Down by an early goal, the United States fought back to take a 2-1 lead before letting in a stoppage time heartbreaker.

On Thursday, the United States will face the world’s second-best team, Germany, in what will be their toughest challenge to date, and their last chance to advance past the group stage of the World Cup. Should the United States win – or tie – it will be the first time in history that America has advanced past the group stage in consecutive World Cups. Advancing would prove how far American soccer has come, reinforce the resilience of a uniquely American team and provide a beacon of hope to a nation in need of a win. I believe in the future of the United States by learning from our past. I believe that sports can act as a catalyst for bigger things. Most important, I believe that we will win.

Kelley is a research fellow at Sagamore Institute, an Indianapolis-based think tank. Follow him on Twitter @patricknkelley